Rotating wing device for increasing the carrying capacity of aeroplane wings



Fb- 23- 1932- A. `LoNc-so ET AL ROTATING WING' DEVICE FOR INCREASING THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF EROPLANE WINGS I Filed Aug. 2o, 1928 ,s sheets-she@ 1 Feb. 23, 1932. A. LONGO ET AL ROTATING WING DEVICE FOR INCREASING THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF AEROPLANE WINGS Filed Aug. 20, 1928 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 23, 1932. A. LONGO ET AL 1,846,562

ROTATING WING' DEVICE FOR INCREASINGTHE CARRYINQGAPACITY 0F AEROPLANE WINGS Filed Aug. 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 23, 1932' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTNIO LONGO AND GAETANO LONGO, F MILAN, ITALY noTA'rING WING DEVICE ron. INCREASING THE CARRYING CAPACITY or AERCPLANE WINGS Application led August 20, 1928, Serial No. 300,744; and. in Italy August 22, 1927.

The subjectmatter of the present invention is a rotating wing device by which the carrying capacity of aeroplane wings is increased. v

The invention consists in a novel application of the stabilizer forming the subject matter of the Longo Italian Patent N. 242- 602. The fundamental idea of this previous patent was that of providing aeroplanes with rotating wings in such a manner that the rotation of said wings gave origin to an upward t drift which should assist in decreasing the fall speed ofthe aeroplane and besides make the aeroplane describe a characteristic curve trajectory.

The device according to the present invention is based on the principle ofthe rotating wing and is essentially distinguished by the fact that it comprises at least one small wing arranged to rotate about its longitudinal axis, preferably below the plane of a corresponding ordinary main wing, along thevrear edge of the latter wing in such a manner that the rotation of the rotatable small win combined with the travelling movement o the aeroplane gives an upwardly directed component increasing the carrying capacity of the apparatus.

The rotation of the said small Wing can be brought about'either automatically through theA relative wind, or it can bevbrought about mechanically by a driving apparatus.

The subject matter of Ithe invention is illus- 'trated, by way ofexample only, by the accompanying drawings in oneof its execution forms.

Fig. 1 isv a plan and diagrammatically shows an aeroplane tted with the deviceLac- Cording to the invention applied to th main wings of the apparatus. Flg. 2 shows the main wing fitted with roV f tating small wing,' as seen from thejrear.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the forces acting upon the rotating small wing.

Fig, 4 shows lthe general arrangement of the rotating small wlng to a. larger scale, the

small 4wing being shov@ longitudinal 'sec-l tion.

Figs. 5 and -.show in/prole and in plan respectively a main wing `fitted with. rotating y and actuated by the relative wind. The axis f bevel wheel 1l loosely revolvable on the axis -1 of the rotating-small wheel A.

small wing and with an auxiliary movable small wing.

Figs. 7, 8, 9 show a modified form of the control arrangement for the rotating wing.

The device according to the invention essentially comprises the small wings A revolvable about the longitudinal axis 1 and carried by supports 2 2 through the intermediate `of bearings 3 in such a mannerthat they lie underneath the plane of the main wings, along 8u of the propeller 7 has fitted on its inner end (lodged inside of the support 2') a bevel gear 9 combined with a free wheel arrangement 10; the bevel wheel 9 meshes with a 12-12 is al clutch actuated by a lever 13, which in its turn is actuated, by means of pull-wires 14-14, by another lever not shown on the, drawing and mounted in the cockpit within reach of the pilot. The pilot can also actuate the band brake 6\by means of the rod 15. Instead, the actuation of the clutch -.piseiected by means of the pullwire 16 which passes round la grooved pulley 17 and connects to an .extension 18 of the disc 5 slidably mounted on the axis 1f; a spring 19 1s always tending to force the disc 5 towards the disc 5 invariably secured on the axis 1., The disc 5 has hemispherical projections, for

`reach so that the pilot can vary the angular position of the clutch 5'5 and therewithalsoof the axjs 1; the ,pilot can therefore also vary the inclination of the smallfwing 10 lever, whereupon the revolving movement of the propeller 7 will be transmitted to the small wing A in the proper direction (Fig. @wing to the relative wind, the wing A commences to revolve automatically and the pilot may now disconnect the clutch 5-5 that has become unnecessary.

The composition of the revolving movement of the wing Arand travelling movement of the apparatus (Fig. 3) engenders a' resultant Rdirected upwardly and inclined, which can be split into* an horizontal component #naand a vertical component -yupwardly directed. It will be obvious that the carrying capacity of the apparatus as well as the resistance are increasedgsyet the value of the ratio Ky: Km relative to the efficiency, with negative angles' of lincidence and with the positive angles of incidence lying in the neighborhood of zero is greater than that of a main'wingA not provided with small wing A .according to the invention.

With normal angles of incidence the carrying capacity becomes greater and the-efficiency l becomes lower than that of a main wing having no small wing. At alleventsthe efiiciency remains constant through a range'corresponding `to. angles of incidence varying -by about 15 fromminimumoto maximum.

In order to adjust the aeroplane transversely about the longitudinal axis for the purpose of restorin the equilibrium or taking a curve, the pi ot4 operates the brake 6 -of the small wing attached to the main Wing that must be lowered. In this manner, by diminishin l the peripheral velocity and therewith t e carrying capacity of the braked small wing, the pilot diminishes the carrying capacity ofthe main wing towhich it is attached. The carrying capacity of the other main wing 'remainingmunalterem y, this main ,wing will tend to rise.

The invention is particularly advantageous in bombing aeroplanes. Inr this case, after the'load has been exhausted, the pilot can bring about the maximum speed by slowly and simultaneously operating the brake 6 and the friction clutch 5.5.'y In consequence of,4

the position now occupied by the hemispherical projections 20 and by the corresponding hemispherical recesses, 20, the small wing will stop in a position parallelto themain wing. X 4

When this position is reached, the pilot can operate the small wing A like an ordinary aileron by means/of the pulling wires attached to the ends of the levers' 21-21 invariably attached to the disc 5. In this manner the best conditions for normalflight are established.

In the modification shown on Figs. 5 and 6 an auxiliary movable wing 22 is provided, which can be actuated by means of 23. The wing 22 in the drawings is shown as arranged in the rear of the rotating wing A, but it might as well be arranged in front of the latter. l

A characteristic modified arrangement for starting the rovolution vof the rotating wing A is shown on Figs. 7' to 9. The arrangement comprises a turbine 24 solid with a friction wheel 25, the latter revolving on the axis 26 of the carter 27, and the carter being adapted to swing about the pin 28 carried by the support 2 of the rotating wing A. Ay lever 30 actuated by the pull wire 31 serves tomove the carter from its normal position in which a spring 29 is constantly tending to maintain it. A pipey 32 receives the air through its bell-mouthed end 33 and delivers it into the turbine 24 through the opening 34. h

As the spindle 28 is arranged eccentrically relatively to the rotation axis 1 of the small wing A, when the lever 30 is operated, the friction wheel 25 comes to bear against a further friction wheel 25 invariably keyed on the axisl of the rotating wing A.

The apparatus is completed by a brake essentially comprising a lever 35 with a friction block 36 attached to it, a wire 37 serving to pull the block 36Vagainst the wheel 38.

The friction block 36 is slidable in guides provided in the support 39 and is forced against the wheel 38 by the spring 40. Inu

' the lever 35 and remove the brake wheel 38 from the set; block 36, support 39, bolt 41; theAw/heel 38 will therefore have been released.

Simultaneously the pilot by .means of a lever provided to this effect and by means of the pulling wire 31 actuates the lever 30 to ther effect of removing the carter 27 from the position in which it was held by the impart the required first impulse and start I in the desired position.

main swing, of a rotational will cluding a small wing notatable a ut its lon-v instead of by the relative Wind, the small wing A may be rotated by a convenient mechanical drive inJ order to increase its peripheral speed over thattobtainable with the relative wind, Iamil thus improve the aeroplane eciency.

The increase in said peripheral speed might also be obtained by providing such a ration of the gear wheel pair 9-11 (Fig. 4)

and s uch dimensions of the blades of the pro peller 7 as are best suited to increase the carrying capacity and diminish the total resistance, since the carryin capacity is a function of the ratio between e peripheral speed and the velocity of the relative wind.

Of course the various details such as shape, arrangement, construction, dimensions, application, materials etc may be varied in practice within the spirit and scope oi the invention. j

What we claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In an aeroplane, the combination with a device ingitudinal axis means for connecting the small wing to the main wing so that it is positioned below the main wing and along and in closely spaced relation to the trailing edge of said wing whereby the revolution of the rotatable wing combined with the travelling movement of the areoplane engenders an upwardly directed component by which the carrying capacity o the aeroplane is increased.

2. In an aeroplane the combination with a main wing of a rotational wing mounted below and in the vicinity of the trailing edge oi the main wing, a ldevice for starting the rota- 3. In an aero lane, the combination with a main win o spaced pairs of hollow su orts exten mg downwardl and rearwa y from the trailing edge o the main wing,-

small wings havingv their longitudinal axes Journalle'd in said supports, means mounted in certain of said brackets for imparting inii tial rotation to the wings, 'manually con trolled means for moving said latter means into an inactive position when desired, means in the remaining brackets for braking said axes, and means cooperating with the latter means for releasably holding said axes in a set positionof adjustment with respect to the main wing, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

1i. ln an aeroplane as claimed in claim 3, wherein the braking and ylocking means include a stationary clutch member, a. manually controlled brake band operabl associated therewith, a slidable-clutch mem er, resilient means normally tending to move said movable clutch member into engagement with the stationary clutch member, manually controlled meansior holding the said clutch member in an inactive position, and manually controlled means for varying the angular disposition of the movable clutch member on the axis of the wing.

5. An aeroplane as claimed in claim 3, `wherein the means for imparting initial rotaf tion for controlling the operation thereof includes a shaft, a propeller thereon, gearin between the shaft and axis of the wing clutc members, one of which is rigid and the othera of which isv movably and operably connected with the gearing, and manually controlled means for movingthe movable clutch member into a set or disconnected position, substantiallyas and for the ur oses set forth.

' T NIO LONGO. GAETANO LONGO.

tion of the wing including a propeller clutch,

means between the propeller and the longitudinalraxis of the wing, means for discon' necting `the clutch after starting, means for braking the rotation of the wing in the desired angular position including a member r1 'dwith the axis of the wing, another mem r slidably mounted on the wing for releasable 

